So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable.
Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (1 Cor 15:58)

Friday, 13 January 2017

Today Reminder – 13 January 2017

A reminder for
today

Dear brothers and
sisters, pray for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:25)

Prayer is so important in our daily lives and more so that
we should pray for each other. But what we forget so easily is who we are
praying to. God is the creator of all and when we move into His presence we
should do so with humility and respect. We should fully understand who we are
talking too and what a massive privilege we have, because it is only possible
to enter His presence with the Lord Jesus who makes this possible.

When I turned to see
who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the
middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long
robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white
like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His
feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like
mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp
two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its
brilliance. (Revelation 1:12-16)

On the morning of the
third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on
the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram's horn, and all the
people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and
they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered
with smoke because the LORD had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke
billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain
shook violently. As the blast of the ram's horn grew louder and louder,
Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply. (Exodus 19:16-19)

To the Israelites at
the foot of the mountain, the glory of the LORD appeared at the summit like a
consuming fire. (Exodus 24:17)

The LORD replied,
"I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name,
Yahweh, before you. For I will show mercy to anyone I choose, and I will show
compassion to anyone I choose. But you may not look directly at my face,
for no one may see me and live." The LORD continued, "Look,
stand near me on this rock. As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide
you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed
by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face
will not be seen." (Exodus 33:19-23)

Now there is a glimpse of the God that we pray to when we
meet Him. I should say, when we have time to pray. I read these verses and I must
admit I am sitting here and my mouth is dry, my heart is pounding and I am suddenly
a little worried, because how many times do we just quickly pray to get it done
and how many times do we tell God what we think He should do. How many times do
we forget who it is we are talking to? Moses was not even allowed to see God’s
face or he would’ve died. The Israelites had to keep a safe distance from God
otherwise they would perish in His presence. When He speaks it is like thunder
and a whole mountain trembles. My prayer life just changed dramatically and the
way I look at God. How I approach Him in prayer and how I see Him.

So today I just want to remind you who God is and I urge you
to keep this in mind every time you go down on your knees to pray.

Lord, forgive us for all the times we have forgotten who you
are and I pray that you will hear our prayer and help us to understand your majesty.
As we keep focussed on you let us see you as we should see you. I pray that you
will accept our praises as we give all that we are to you. Let your grace shine
through is and help us so that we will never ever doubt in you. Help us to wear
your armour and face the enemy without fear. In Jesus name.

Book for the month

Many Christians feel bombarded by the messages they hear and the trends they see in our rapidly changing world. How can we resist being conformed to the pattern of this world? What will faithfulness to Christ look like in these tumultuous times? How can we be true to the gospel in a world where myths and false visions of the world so often prevail? In This is Our Time, Trevin Wax provides snapshots of twenty-first-century American Life in order to help Christians understand the times. By analyzing our common beliefs and practices (smartphone habits, entertainment intake, and our views of shopping, sex, marriage, politics, and life’s purpose), Trevin helps us see through the myths of society to the hope of the gospel. As faithful witnesses to Christ, Trevin writes, we must identify the longing behind society’s most cherished myths (what is good, true, beautiful), expose the lie at the heart of these myths (what is false and damaging), and show how the gospel tells a better story – one that exposes the lie but satisfies the deeper longing.

Movie of the month

The pre-ministry life of Jesus from his baptism with John the Baptist to his exploration of the wilderness